Technique for searching and viewing video material

ABSTRACT

A video processing engine is configured to generate a graphical user interface (GUI) that allows an end-user of the video processing engine to select a specific video and search through the specific video to detect a desired target scene. The video processing engine provides a grid array of video thumbnails that are configured to each display a segment of the video so that multiple scenes may be visually scanned simultaneously. When the end-user identifies a scene within a video thumbnail that may be the desired target scene, the end-user may launch the content of the video thumbnail in full-screen mode to verify that the scene is in fact the desired target scene. An advantage of the approach described herein is that the video processing engine provides a sampled overview of the video in its entirety, thus enabling the end-user to more effectively scrub the video for the desired target scene.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional patentapplication titled “Techniques for Viewing and Searching Different Typesof Content,” filed on Dec. 3, 2013 and having Ser. No. 61/911,301. Thesubject matter of this related application is hereby incorporated hereinby reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention generally relates to computer graphics and, morespecifically, to a technique for searching and viewing video material.

2. Description of the Related Art

Videos of movies and television shows are made up of multiple scenes.Often a viewer may want to watch a specific scene that occurs in thevideo. Current approaches to searching for a particular scene in acomputer-based video player can be problematic. Locating a target scenecan be difficult because the viewer may not know where the scene islocated chronologically in the video. Considerable time and effort maybe expended in searching through a video.

To locate a specific scene, a viewer may simply play the video from thebeginning and identify the scene whenever it occurs. This may be a timeconsuming approach, particularly when the target scene occurs late inthe video. Alternatively the viewer may manipulate a timeline control,often available in video players, to search through the video. Other,more refined approaches provide a single thumbnail that displays asingle still scene of the video and may be updated continuously with atimeline slider control. Typically, during the search operation,referred to as scrubbing, network latency prevents a video player fromupdating the displayed frame until the seeking operation has ended, thatis, until the slider stops moving. This approach can work well if theuser knows an exact timestamp of the portion of video to be reviewed. Inthe absence of this knowledge, however, the process becomes haphazard.Further, as only a single frame is visible at one time, large portionsof the video may be missed due to insufficient resolution provided bythe timeline control. In addition, the video must still be viewedsequentially, and the user may expend considerable effort to find therequired content.

As the foregoing illustrates, what is needed in the art is a moreeffective way to search for and view a target scene in video-orientedmaterial.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

One embodiment of the invention includes a computer-implemented methodfor identifying a target scene within a video file including obtaining afirst set of frames that reflect a first portion of the video file,obtaining a second set of frames that reflect a second portion of thevideo file, generating a graphical user interface (GUI) that displays atimeline control, causing the GUI to display a first frame included inthe first set of frames and a first frame included in the second set offrames when the timeline control resides at a first position, andcausing the GUI to display a second frame included in the first set offrames and a second frame included in the second set of frames when thetimeline control resides at a second position.

One advantage of the disclosed technique is that the configurableinteractive grid enables the user to rapidly locate a target scenewithin a video of unspecified length by scrubbing multiple videothumbnails simultaneously.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

So that the manner in which the above recited features of the inventioncan be understood in detail, a more particular description of theinvention, briefly summarized above, may be had by reference toembodiments, some of which are illustrated in the appended drawings. Itis to be noted, however, that the appended drawings illustrate onlytypical embodiments of this invention and are therefore not to beconsidered limiting of its scope, for the invention may admit to otherequally effective embodiments.

FIG. 1 illustrates a system configured to implement one or more aspectsof the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a screenshot depicting the first frame of a video, accordingto one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a screenshot depicting a grid of video thumbnails, accordingto one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a screenshot depicting a grid of video thumbnails scanned tosubsequent frames by operation of a timeline control, according to oneembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a screenshot depicting the selection of a target scene in agrid of video thumbnails scanned to subsequent frames, according to oneembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram of method steps for configuring a videoprocessing engine to search through a video to find a desired scene,according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a conceptual diagram showing various thumbnail densities,according to one embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 8 is a flow diagram of method steps for preparation of videothumbnails, according to one embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth toprovide a more thorough understanding of the present invention. However,it will be apparent to one of skill in the art that the presentinvention may be practiced without one or more of these specificdetails. In other instances, well-known features have not been describedin order to avoid obscuring the present invention.

System Overview

FIG. 1 illustrates a system 100 configured to implement one or moreaspects of the present invention. As shown, the system includes clientmachine 110 coupled to server machine 120 by network 140. Server machine120 is also coupled to database 150. Client machine 110 represents aclient computing device configured to interact with server machine 120in order to produce video content that enables rapid searching of thevideo content to locate user specified target scenes.

Client machine 110 includes processing unit 112 coupled to input/output(I/O) devices 114 and to memory 103. Processing unit 112 may be acentral processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), or acombination of different processing units, such as a CPU configured tooperate in conjunction with a GPU. In general, processing unit 112 maybe any technically feasible hardware unit capable of processing dataand/or executing software applications. I/O devices 114 are also coupledto memory 103 and may include devices capable of receiving input,devices capable of producing output, as well as devices capablecommunicating via network 140. Client machine 110 is further coupled todisplay device 170, keyboard 180, and mouse 190, which afford theend-user access to client machine 110. Memory 103 further includes videoprocessing engine 116 and local video storage 118.

Server machine 120 is a computing device that may reside within a datacenter remote from client machine 110. Server machine 120 includesprocessing unit 122 coupled to I/O devices 124 and to memory unit 126.Processing unit 122 may be a central processing unit (CPU), a graphicsprocessing unit (GPU), or a combination of different processing units,such as a CPU configured to operate in conjunction with a GPU. I/Odevices 124 are also coupled to memory unit 126 and may include devicescapable of receiving input such as a keyboard, mouse, or other inputelements, devices capable of producing output such as a monitor orprinter, as well as elements that enable communication via network 140.Memory 126 further includes video formatting engine 128 and videothumbnail storage 130. Server machine 120 is also coupled to database150, which includes video source files 160. Video source files 160 maybe a collection of movies, television content, personal video content,or any other types of video files.

In one embodiment, server machine 120 sequentially transmits video datain a frame-by-frame fashion, termed streaming. In the streaming mode,client machine 110 initiates a request to server machine 120 to invoke aspecific video from among video source files 160.

Video formatting engine 128, when invoked by processing unit 112,accesses the specific video within video source files 160 and modifiesand reworks the content of the specific video into a complement ofthumbnail video segments, where each thumbnail video segment is a uniquesubset of the specific video. Video formatting engine 128 then arrangesthe complement of thumbnails into a grid array and stores the grid arrayof thumbnail video segments in video thumbnail storage 130 in order tobe available for streaming to client machine 110.

Video formatting engine 128 then streams the specific video to clientmachine 110 via network 140. If the target scene is not immediatelyevident upon displaying the specific video, the user may then invoke thethumbnail grid view, as described below in conjunction with FIG. 3.Video formatting engine 128 then streams the thumbnail grid view toclient machine 110. Video processing engine 116 processes the dataprovided by video formatting engine 128, creates viewable datastructures, and displays the grid of thumbnail video segments viadisplay device 170 or other elements included in I/O devices 114. Eachthumbnail within the grid of thumbnails then displays active video ofeach unique video segment of the selected video.

The user may then examine the static thumbnail grid to identify a targetscene. If the target scene is not evident in the grid of thumbnails, theuser may manipulate a timeline control, as described below inconjunction with FIG. 3, to scrub all thumbnails simultaneously. Whenthe target scene is identified in a particular thumbnail, the user mayselect the particular thumbnail to view the scene in full-screen mode.

In another embodiment, the client machine operates in a stand-alone modewith no server interaction. In the stand-alone mode, a video file isstored locally in local video storage 118. Video processing engine 116modifies and reworks the content of the video file into a complement ofthumbnail video segments, where each thumbnail video segment is a uniquesubset of the selected video. Video processing engine 116 then arrangesthe thumbnail video segments into a grid array and stores the grid arrayof thumbnail video segments in local video storage 118.

Video processing engine 116 then displays the selected video via displaydevice 170 or other elements included in I/O devices 114. If the targetscene is not immediately evident upon displaying the video that theend-user specifies from among video source files 160, the user may theninvoke the thumbnail grid view. Video processing engine 116 thendisplays the thumbnail grid view via display device 170 or otherelements included in I/O devices 114. As described above, the user maythen examine the static thumbnail grid, and, if the target scene is notevident in the grid of thumbnails, manipulate the timeline control toscan all thumbnails simultaneously. When the target scene is identifiedin a particular thumbnail, the user may select that thumbnail to viewthe scene in full screen mode.

Exemplary Screenshots Illustrating a Technique for Scrubbing

FIG. 2 is a screenshot 200 depicting the first frame of a video,according to one embodiment of the present invention. Screenshot 200 maybe captured from display device 170. As shown, screenshot 200 includes avideo display area 210, depicted as displaying the first frame of avideo in full screen mode. Screenshot 200 further includes a timelinecontrol 220, depicted as a conventional slider control. Timeline control220 affords scanning through a video by moving the slider, where theslider in the left-most position, as shown, queues the first frame ofthe video, and moving further to the right queues frames successivelyfurther towards the chronological end of the video. The action ofscanning, or synonymously, scrubbing, through a video is a chronologicalmovement through the frames of the video in response to the changingposition of the timeline control. Scenes, or component frames withinscenes, may be identified by their relative chronology within thetotality of the video.

FIGS. 3 through 5 illustrate the search activity by depicting aprogression of screenshots. The screenshots proceed from the beginningof the video, illustrated in FIG. 3, to an intermediate point,illustrated in FIG. 4, to a final point, illustrated in FIG. 5, at whicha scene is identified and a final selection is made.

FIG. 3 is a screenshot 300 depicting a grid of video thumbnails,according to one embodiment of the present invention. Screenshot 300 maybe captured from display device 170. Screenshot 300 includes a grid ofvideo thumbnail segments 310(0) through 310(19). Although screenshot 300depicts a five-by-five grid, persons skilled in the art will understandthat a grid of any dimension or symmetry is within the scope of thepresent invention. The dimension or symmetry of the grid of static videothumbnails may be selected based on the size, resolution, and aspectratio of display device 170 or other elements included in I/O devices114,

The grid of video thumbnail segments 310 illustrates an example of avideo that includes one thousand frames divided into twenty-five equalsegments of forty frames each. Video thumbnail segment 310(0) depictsthe display of frame one, which is the first frame of the first segment,where the first segment includes frames one through forty. Videothumbnail segment 310(1) depicts the display of frame forty-one, whichis the first frame of the second segment, where the second segmentincludes frames forty-one through eighty. Successive video thumbnailsegments follow displaying successive groups of frames until videothumbnail segment 310(19) depicts frame nine hundred sixty one, which isthe first frame of the twenty-fifth and final segment, where the finalsegment includes frames nine hundred sixty one through one thousand.

Screenshot 300 further includes a timeline control 320. Timeline control320 is shown in the left-most position so that each thumbnail segmentdisplays the first frame of each unique segment of the video. Screenshot300 depicts a static snapshot of thumbnails 310 based on the position oftimeline control 320. In operation, video processing engine 116 mayscroll the video starting at the chronological point determined by theposition of timeline control 320.

FIG. 4 is a screenshot 400 depicting the grid of video thumbnailsscanned to subsequent frames by operation of the timeline controlslider, according to one embodiment of the present invention. Screenshot400 may be captured from display device 170. As shown, screenshot 400includes a grid of video thumbnail segments 410(0) through 410(19).

The grid of video thumbnail segments 410 shown illustrates the exampleof a video that includes one thousand frames, similar to that shown inFIG. 3. Video thumbnail segment 410(0) depicts the display of frametwelve, which is the twelfth frame of the first segment, where the firstsegment includes frames one through forty. Video thumbnail segment410(1) depicts the display of frame fifty-two, which is the twelfthframe of the second segment, where the second segment includes framesforty-one through eighty. Successive video thumbnail segments follow,displaying successive groups of frames until video thumbnail segment410(19) depicts frame nine hundred seventy two, which is the twelfthframe of the twenty-fifth and final segment, where the final segmentincludes frames nine hundred sixty one through one thousand.

Screenshot 400 further includes a timeline control 420. The end-usermoves timeline control 420 to a position, shown in the example as leftof center, so that each thumbnail 410 scans to a further time stampwithin the unique segment associated with the segment. As illustrated,each segment then displays the twelfth frame of each unique segmentcontent. FIG. 4 then illustrates a scenario in which video processingengine 116 has scanned to a point chronologically further into the videobut has not yet identified the target scene. Further scanning is neededto locate the target.

FIG. 5 is a screenshot 500 depicting the selection of a target scene ina grid of video thumbnails scanned to subsequent frames, according toone embodiment of the present invention. Screenshot 500 may be capturedfrom display device 170. As shown, screenshot 500 includes the grid ofvideo thumbnail segments 510(0) through 510(19).

The grid of video thumbnail segments 510 shown illustrates the exampleof a video that includes one thousand frames, similar to that shown inFIGS. 3 and 4. Video thumbnail segment 510(0) depicts the display offrame thirty, which is the thirtieth frame of the first segment, wherethe first segment includes frames one through forty. Video thumbnailsegment 510(1) depicts the display of frame seventy, which is theseventieth frame of the second segment, where the second segmentincludes frames forty-one through eighty. Successive video thumbnailsegments follow displaying successive groups of frames until videothumbnail segment 510(19) depicts frame nine hundred ninety, which isthe nine hundred and ninetieth frame of the twenty-fifth and finalsegment, where the final segment includes frames nine hundred sixty onethrough one thousand.

Screenshot 500 further includes a timeline control 520. The end-usermoves timeline control 520 to a position, shown in the example as rightof center, so that each thumbnail scans to a further time stamp withinthe unique segment associated with the segment. As illustrated, eachsegment then displays the thirtieth frame of each unique segmentcontent.

As screenshot 500 further illustrates, the end-user moves a curser 530and selects video thumbnail segment 510(17). Selecting segment 510(17)causes the display to revert to the full screen view, as described abovein conjunction with FIG. 2, where video processing engine 116 displaysthe scene illustrated in video thumbnail segment 510(17) in full-screenmode via display device 170 or other elements included in I/O devices114.

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram of method steps for configuring a videoprocessing engine 116 to search through a video to find a desired scene,according to one embodiment of the present invention. Although themethod steps are described in conjunction with the system of FIG. 1,persons skilled in the art will understand that any system configured toperform the method steps, in any order, is within the scope of thepresent invention.

As shown, a method 600 begins at step 602, where video processing engine116, when invoked by processing unit 112, initiates the search for atarget scene by accessing a specific video. The specific video mayreside locally in local video storage 118 or may reside remotely withinvideo source files 160. At step 604, video processing engine 116 invokesthe video search grid array as illustrated above in conjunction withFIG. 3. At step 606, video processing engine 116 examines the selectedvideo via end-user manipulation of the timeline control 420 to scrubthrough the multiple scenes as illustrated above in conjunction withFIG. 4.

At step 608, video processing engine 116 determines whether the desiredtarget scene is among the video thumbnails included in the grid of videothumbnails. If video processing engine 116 determines that the desiredtarget scene is not included in the grid of video thumbnails, thenmethod 600 proceeds to step 610. At step 610, video processing engine116 responds to timeline control 420 input by simultaneously scanningthrough each unique scene of each video thumbnail 410, as illustratedabove in conjunction with FIG. 4. The method 600 then returns to step606.

If, at step 608, video processing engine 116 determines that the desiredtarget scene is among the video thumbnails displayed, then method 600proceeds to step 612 where video processing engine 116 displays theselected target scene in full-screen mode via display device 170 orother elements included in I/O devices 114, as described above inconjunction with FIG. 2. The method then ends. By implementing theapproach described above, video processing engines 116 allows anend-user to quickly and efficiently scrub a video in order to locate adesired target scene.

Techniques for Preparing Video Thumbnails

FIG. 7 is a conceptual diagram showing various thumbnail densities,according to one embodiment of the present invention. As described abovein conjunction with FIGS. 3 through 5, thumbnail segments 310, 410, and510 each include a complement of frames of the subject video. Thumbnailsegments 310, 410, and 510 may include all sequential frames of eachsegment, so that the end-user may scrub through the multiple scenes andview all possible frames. Alternatively, thumbnail segments 310, 410,and 510 may instead include a reduced number of the total frames withineach segment. In this manner, video processing engine 116 may affordmore efficient streaming operation while still providing the end-user aneffective scrubbing tool.

As shown, a thumbnail complement 710 illustrates an example of a typicalthumbnail segment composed of 100 frames where thumbnail complement 710includes all of those 100 frames. Thumbnail complement 710 then may beconsidered to include a thumbnail density of 100 percent. Thumbnailsegments 310, 410, and 510 may be configured with a 100 percentthumbnail density.

A thumbnail complement 720 illustrates another example of a typicalthumbnail segment composed of 100 frames where thumbnail complement 720only includes every fourth frame. Thumbnail complement 720 then may beconsidered to include a thumbnail density of 25 percent. Thumbnailsegments 310, 410, and 510 may be configured with a 25 percent thumbnaildensity.

A thumbnail complement 730 illustrates an example of the same typicalthumbnail segment 310 composed of 100 frames where thumbnail complement730 only includes every tenth frame. Thumbnail complement 730 then maybe considered to include a thumbnail density of 10 percent. Thumbnailsegments 310, 410, and 510 may be configured with a 10 percent thumbnaildensity.

A thumbnail complement 740 illustrates an example of the same typicalthumbnail segment 310 composed of 100 frames where thumbnail complement740 includes only two frames. Thumbnail complement 740 then may beconsidered to include a thumbnail density of 2 percent. Thumbnailsegments 310, 410, and 510 may be configured with a 2 percent thumbnaildensity.

Although FIG. 7 depicts exemplary scenes with specific frame densitiesand specific first frames within each thumbnail 310, persons skilled inthe art will understand that a scene composed of any number of frameswith any density reduction and any starting scene, is within the scopeof the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a flow diagram of method steps for preparation of videothumbnails, according to one embodiment of the present invention.Although the method steps are described in conjunction with the systemof FIG. 1, persons skilled in the art will understand that any systemconfigured to perform the method steps, in any order, is within thescope of the present invention.

As shown, a method 800 begins at step 802, where video formatting engine128, when invoked by processing unit 122, configures the dimension ofthe thumbnail grid array, as described in detail above in conjunctionwith FIGS. 3 through 5. At step 804, video formatting engine 128determines the distribution among the video thumbnail grid array 300 ofthe content of the video that the end-user specifies from among videosource files 160. One example of a distribution may be to assign anequal number of frames to each video thumbnail 310, as illustrated abovein conjunction with FIG. 3. Another example of a distribution may be toassign preexisting chapters within the video to each video thumbnail310. Persons skilled in the art will understand that any distribution offrames, sequentially assigned to successive video thumbnails 310, iswithin the scope of the present invention.

At 806, video formatting engine 128 determines the thumbnail density asdescribed above in conjunction with FIG. 7. At 808, video formattingengine 128 creates the video thumbnail grid array. At 810, videoformatting engine 128 streams the thumbnail grid array to videoprocessing engine 116 via network 140. The method then ends.

In sum, a video processing engine is configured to generate a graphicaluser interface (GUI) that allows an end-user of the video processingengine to select a specific video and search through the specific videoto detect a desired target scene. The video processing engine provides agrid array of video thumbnails that are configured to each display asegment of the video so that multiple scenes may be visually scannedsimultaneously. When the end-user identifies a scene within a videothumbnail that may be the desired target scene, the end-user may launchthe content of the video thumbnail in full-screen mode to verify thatthe scene is in fact the desired target scene.

Advantageously, multiple thumbnail videos are displayed simultaneouslythereby allowing the end-user to scrub through multiple scenes to morereadily identify a desired target scene. Further, each thumbnailincludes a reduced number of frames, that is, a reduced frame density,allowing the viewer to more efficiently view the essential content of ascene while minimizing the time required to stream the content. Theability to rapidly select a target scene from among multiple thumbnailsaffords scrubbing in a manner that is efficient in the time and effortrequired.

One embodiment of the invention may be implemented as a program productfor use with a computer system. The program(s) of the program productdefine functions of the embodiments (including the methods describedherein) and can be contained on a variety of computer-readable storagemedia. Illustrative computer-readable storage media include, but are notlimited to: (i) non-writable storage media (e.g., read-only memorydevices within a computer such as CD-ROM disks readable by a CD-ROMdrive, flash memory, ROM chips or any type of solid-state non-volatilesemiconductor memory) on which information is permanently stored; and(ii) writable storage media (e.g., floppy disks within a diskette driveor hard-disk drive or any type of solid-state random-accesssemiconductor memory) on which alterable information is stored.

The invention has been described above with reference to specificembodiments. Persons skilled in the art, however, will understand thatvarious modifications and changes may be made thereto without departingfrom the broader spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in theappended claims. The foregoing description and drawings are,accordingly, to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictivesense.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A computer-implemented method foridentifying a target scene within a video file, the method comprising:receiving a first set of frames that are associated with a first portionof the video file; receiving a second set of frames that are associatedwith a second portion of the video file; generating a graphical userinterface (GUI) that displays a timeline control; causing the GUI todisplay a first frame included in the first set of frames and a firstframe included in the second set of frames when the timeline controlresides at a first position.
 2. The computer-implemented method of claim1, further comprising causing the GUI to display a second frame includedin the first set of frames and a second frame included in the second setof frames when the timeline control resides at a second position.
 3. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising: identifyingthe number of frames to include in the first set of frames based on afirst selection criterion; and identifying the number of frames toinclude in the second set of frames based on a second selectioncriterion that indicates a number of frames to include in the second setof frames.
 4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein thefirst set of frames occurs chronologically before the second set offrames in the video file.
 5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1,wherein the first frame in the first set of frames occurschronologically before the second frame in the first set of frames. 6.The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the first frame inthe second set of frames occurs chronologically before the second framein the second set of frames.
 7. The computer-implemented method of claim1, further comprising causing the GUI to display frames included in thefirst set of frames and frames included in the second set of framesbased on a chronological ordering of frames in the video file.
 8. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 7, further comprising: causing theGUI to display frames at a first chronological location within the firstportion of the video file based on a third position of the timelinecontrol; and causing the GUI to display frames at a second chronologicallocation within the second portion of the video file based on the thirdposition of the timeline control.
 9. The computer-implemented method ofclaim 1, further comprising: identifying that one of the first portionof the video file or the second portion of the video file is the targetscene; and causing the GUI to display one of the first portion of thevideo file or second portion of the video file.
 10. A non-transitorycomputer-readable medium storing program instructions that, whenexecuted by a processing unit, cause the processing unit to facilitateidentifying a target scene within a video file by performing the stepsof: receiving a first set of frames that are associated with a firstportion of the video file; receiving a second set of frames that areassociated with a second portion of the video file; generating agraphical user interface (GUI) that displays a timeline control; causingthe GUI to display a first frame included in the first set of frames anda first frame included in the second set of frames when the timelinecontrol resides at a first position.
 11. The non-transitorycomputer-readable medium of claim 10, further comprising: identifyingthe number of frames to include in the first set of frames based on afirst selection criterion; and identifying the number of frames toinclude in the second set of frames based on a second selectioncriterion that indicates a number of frames to include in the second setof frames.
 12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10,wherein the first set of frames occurs chronologically before the secondset of frames in the video file.
 13. The non-transitorycomputer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the first frame in thefirst set of frames occurs chronologically before the second frame inthe first set of frames.
 14. The non-transitory computer-readable mediumof claim 10, wherein the first frame in the second set of frames occurschronologically before the second frame in the second set of frames. 15.The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10, furthercomprising causing the GUI to display frames included in the first setof frames and frames included in the second set of frames based on achronological ordering of frames in the video file.
 16. Thenon-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 10, further comprising:causing the GUI to display frames at a first chronological locationwithin the first portion of the video file based on a third position ofthe timeline control; and causing the GUI to display frames at a secondchronological location within the second portion of the video file basedon the third position of the timeline control
 17. A system configured tofacilitate identifying a target scene within a video file, the systemcomprising: a display device configured to display a graphical userinterface (GUI); a memory unit; a processing unit coupled to the memoryunit and configured to: receive a first set of frames that reflect afirst portion of the video file, receive a second set of frames thatreflect a second portion of the video file, generate a GUI that displaysa timeline control, and cause the GUI to display a first frame includedin the first set of frames and a first frame included in the second setof frames when the timeline control resides at a first position.
 18. Thesystem of claim 17, wherein the processing unit is further configured tocause the GUI to display a second frame included in the first set offrames and a second frame included in the second set of frames when thetimeline control resides at a second position.
 19. The system of claim17, wherein the memory unit stores program instructions that, whenexecuted by the processing unit, cause the processing unit to: identifythe number of frames to include in the first set of frames based on afirst selection criterion; and identify the number of frames to includein the second set of frames based on a second selection criterion thatindicates a number of frames to include in the second set of frames. 20.The system of claim 17, wherein the processing unit is furtherconfigured to: identify that one of the first portion of the video fileor the second portion of the video file is the target scene; and causethe GUI to display one of the first portion of the video file or secondportion of the video file.